Caughnawaga Indian Village Site
Encyclopedia
Caughnawaga Indian Village Site is an archaeological site
located just west of Fonda
in Montgomery County, New York
. The site was discovered in 1950 by Rev. Thomas Grassmann
and today is the only completely excavated Iroquois Indian village in the country. The Mohawk village site includes the outlines of the 12 longhouses and stockade
which existed there 300 years ago. What separates Caughnawaga from many other village sites in the area is that it is open to the public. This means that people can come to the area and observe the foundations of the Caughnawaga longhouses in person. It sits on a hill above the Mohawk-Caughnawaga museum and the shrine chapel, known as the Kateri Tekakwitha
and Mohawk Caughnawaga Indian National Shrine or The National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973.
The name Caughnawaga is derived from the Mohawk
word kahnawà:ke, meaning "place of the rapids", referring to the rapids of the Mohawk River
.
Caughnawaga is the last Mohawk village in the present United States before the tribe moved to Canada. It was occupied from 1667-93. During which it was the site of a French Jesuit mission for about 10 years ranging from 1668-79.
The most significant years for this site are between 1650 and 1699.
The current function for this site are recreation and culture and also as a museum.
Also known as Gandaouage; Kachnawage, meaning "Castle". The word "castle" actually means "fortified place." This site was the Native American's form of a castle. This area has an overlook of the Hudson River and is also close to a natural spring.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM79AG_Caughnawaga_Indian_Village_Site_Fonda_New_York
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
located just west of Fonda
Fonda, New York
Fonda is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 810 at the 2000 census. Fonda is the county seat of Montgomery County...
in Montgomery County, New York
Montgomery County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 56 per square mile...
. The site was discovered in 1950 by Rev. Thomas Grassmann
Thomas Grassmann
Rev. Thomas Grassmann, OFM Conv, was a Conventual Franciscan friar and historian and archaeologist of Colonial New York, who discovered the site of the Mohawk American Village of Caughnawaga near Fonda, New York....
and today is the only completely excavated Iroquois Indian village in the country. The Mohawk village site includes the outlines of the 12 longhouses and stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
which existed there 300 years ago. What separates Caughnawaga from many other village sites in the area is that it is open to the public. This means that people can come to the area and observe the foundations of the Caughnawaga longhouses in person. It sits on a hill above the Mohawk-Caughnawaga museum and the shrine chapel, known as the Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha or Catherine Tekakwitha was a Mohawk-Algonquian woman from New York and an early convert to Catholicism, who has been beatified in the Roman Catholic Church.-Her life:...
and Mohawk Caughnawaga Indian National Shrine or The National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973.
The name Caughnawaga is derived from the Mohawk
Mohawk language
Mohawk is an Iroquoian language spoken by around 2,000 people of the Mohawk nation in the United States and Canada . Mohawk has the largest number of speakers of the Northern Iroquoian languages; today it is the only one with greater than a thousand remaining...
word kahnawà:ke, meaning "place of the rapids", referring to the rapids of the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
.
Caughnawaga is the last Mohawk village in the present United States before the tribe moved to Canada. It was occupied from 1667-93. During which it was the site of a French Jesuit mission for about 10 years ranging from 1668-79.
The most significant years for this site are between 1650 and 1699.
The current function for this site are recreation and culture and also as a museum.
Also known as Gandaouage; Kachnawage, meaning "Castle". The word "castle" actually means "fortified place." This site was the Native American's form of a castle. This area has an overlook of the Hudson River and is also close to a natural spring.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM79AG_Caughnawaga_Indian_Village_Site_Fonda_New_York